Reviews by MrHirschybar:

More User Reviews:

thanks to drlovemd87 for sharing another treasure from his cellar. this one is special, and is perhaps the most well integrated use of barrel out there right now. the bourbon doesn't overpower the grain or the coffee, and all the elements are there together, its lovely. just a little froth on top of a jet black viscous base, intimidating in the glass. the nose is heavy vanilla, fresh coffee grounds, and warming alcohol. dried fruit, raisin maybe, and oak are there too, as is a rather dry earthen roasty character. the flavor isn't dry at all though, its sweet all the way through with a toffee and honey quality, and again with the vanilla. the bitterness of the dark barley and the coffee are tempered and counteracted by the barrel, which makes good sense. the coffee isn't quite as robust as it is in the regular speedway, but its role seems more important here. it remains the focus of the beer I think, as much as the barrel character creeps into view. layers of flavor and one of the longest finishes in the business. I love the way it feels, with all this body and slickness, despite being a palate coater. great great beer overall, I would love to try some of the other variants they do with it.

Wow, this beer is so thick it could paint walls a nice toasty brown color. It is very complex with many flavors going on. I especially like the dark roast coffee flavors I get with the smooth yet potent bourbon flavor that warms you right up. I couldn't drink more than one in one sitting, it is definitely a sipping beer but quite enjoyable.

Enjoyed at a tasting, alongside the regular Speedway and the Kopi Luwak variant. This one pours with a similar body to the regular Speedway - silky, black, and only showing some dark brown highlights at its very extremities. The tan head on this one was a bit darker than that of the original Speedway, but it dissipates much quicker also, leaving basically no lacing along the glass as it sinks down.

The aroma is as powerful as they come; it hits quickly with huge barrel qualities - soft oak and vanilla melding with a bourbon character that is slightly grainy and raw, but not quite enough to be abrasive. Some nice dark fudge rounds out the rough edges, alongside just a hint of coffee. Despite the unique coffee aroma being so strong and "out front" in the original Speedway, it's actually one of the most tame aromas in the barrel-aged version. Weird. Just from the nose, you can tell this one is gonna be a doozy. Robust bourbon, oak, and fudge stings and warms my nostrils one last time before I dive in and take my first sip...

The first thing I notice is that the body on this one is much creamier than the original Speedway - chalk that up to the barrel aging, of course. A nice mixture of bourbon and vanilla are the first things to attack the palate, with a slight bias in the bourbon direction. Again, the bourbon characteristic is more grainy and "pure" than in many other BA beers - very powerful. A strong oak presence backs the beer from nearly start to finish, with some light coconut flavors coming in at the tail end.

There is a reasonable heat to this one, feels maybe even a bit hotter than 12% ABV, not too sure how I feel about that yet. The fudge flavors are a bit more suppressed than I anticipated, but they come out much more during the latter half of the beer, along with some very light dark fruity and anise-like sweetness, helping to cut through the bourbon heat and the bitterness from the roasted malts. The strongest flavor in the finish is the grainy bourbon and a mild fudge sweetness. Low carbonation, smooth, chewy, creamy body.

Overall, the coffee was very unnoticeable on the palate, something that I loved so much about the original Speedway. The bourbon barrel flavors were huge, but perhaps a little "too huge" for my liking, as they seemed to overshadow some of Speedways excellent qualities. Still a very delicious beer, but I'd have to take the original over this one, without question.

T - Very nice balanced stout. There was chocolate, bourbon, coffee, sugar, vanilla, and caramel. But none of the flavors were overpowered they were very nicely balanced between each other.

M - Full bodied with a thick, heavy mouthfeel and low carbonation.

O - Very good beer that I am glad I had the opportunity to try considering how rare it is now. The regular speedway is one of my favorite beers and this took it up a notch. Hope to have it again someday.

Pitch black with not too much head. A good swirl got nothing. The aroma is full of coffe, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, and so much more I just couldn't wrap my head around. Same with the flavor. Everything mentioned in the nose was present in the flavor. All very well blended. There was some concern at the table that the coffee would not make its way through. It was there and stood tall. The palate was a touch on the thin side, yet very fullfilling.

Pours a dark black color with a mocha colored head. Head diminishes to only a ring around the glass. Smell of coffee and soft bourbon, maybe some hints of chocolate and oak. The bourbon is nicely balanced in there, it's not overpowering as so many other barrel aged stouts have been. Taste is simply exceptional. Roastiness adds a nice touch to the dark chocolate and bourbon. Hints of vanilla and oak, but I am once again impressed on how well the bourbon is integrated. It's like a soft, smooth, high quality bourbon barrel was used; it's not harsh at all. A little less than full bodied, with a soft amount of carbonation. A pure joy to drink, I am forever greatful for being given the opportunity to try this.